


What I Did For Love

by maraudersdrarry



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, HIGH SCHOOL AU BET, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2019-02-13 20:18:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12991752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maraudersdrarry/pseuds/maraudersdrarry
Summary: Luke Skywalker found himself caught in a lie.  The entire school thinks he and Han Solo are dating.  Which they aren't.  But maybe a part of him wishes they were.





	1. Kiss Today Goodbye

"Pleaseeee come with me. Pleaseeee!" Han was begging Luke. "I have to do this for Lando, I owe him a favor-"

"You owe everyone a favor," said Luke. He pulled into his usual space in the school parking lot and put the car in park.

"I'll blow you," Han said. 

Luke snorted.

"Could it be if I go, you don't blow me?" said Luke.

"Absolutely! Just pleaseeee come."

Luke glared at Han. 

"Fine. But now you owe me a favor too."

"So is blowing off the table for the favor or?"

"Shut up." Luke unbuckled. Why does Lando need us to go to a GSA meeting, anyway?"

"He wants to 'help the queer kids at this school' and they need more members. I don't know. Thank you for agreeing," Han smiled artificially wide at Luke. 

Luke rolled his eyes.

~

They reached room 211 and Luke peered in.

"I see some people in there," he said. "do we just... go in?"

Han curtsied.

"After you, my sweet princess."

Luke took a breath. He was nervous. He didn't know why, but his heart was pounding at the thought of walking into room 211.

He turned the knob and pushed open the door. Han was close behind him, practically pressed against his back. There were about twelve desks arranged in a circle.

Luke was worried about nothing. He and Han received some smiles, but no one paid them much attention. They took the seats next to Lando, and a few minutes later, Lando started to speak.

Luke zoned out, the stuff Lando was saying was complicated. Luke had never heard of any of the activists Lando mentioned. He'd never been bullied. He instead spent his time thinking about the mountain load of homework he had. Fuck, that was stressful.

Luke was brought out of his daze by someone saying his name.

"So how long have you and Luke been a couple?" It was one of the girls that had smiled at them when they entered the room.

Luke blinked. He was too shocked to say anything. 

"They started dating in the beginning of last summer. Right, Han?" said Lando. Luke's head swiveled to him. He was staring down Han. Han was looking back at him, then looked to the rest of the members.

"Right. After the school year ended last year, I asked him out. He said yes, obviously. Lucky me," Han laughed nervously. Luke stepped on his foot and looked at him. Han looked back and nodded very lightly.

For the next ten minutes, they answered questions about their relationship.

Han was bi. Luke was gay. Han came out to his close friends when he was a freshman. Luke didn't come out until he was a sophomore, then Han asked him out at the end of the year because he'd always had feelings for him. They dated the whole summer and started Han's senior year and Luke's junior year as a happy couple.

When the meeting finally ended, Hand and Luke didn't say a word to each other until they were back in Luke's car.

"What. The. Fuck," Luke said. "What the fuck!?" 

"I do not know," said Han. He seemed to be in just as much shock as Luke. "This could be a good thing, though."

"We are lying about something huge! How could this be a good thing?!" Luke clutched the steering wheel.

"I don't know, actually. I was trying to make you feel better. 

Luke felt sick. It must've shown on his face because Han's voice softened.

"Hey, it's gonna be fine," He said. "We "date" for a little longer, then "break up". Then everything is back to normal."

Luke nodded. 

"Okay. Yeah. Okay," he let out a breath of air he didn't realize he was holding. "Back to normal."

But things would never be normal again.

~

Apparently one of Leia's friends was in the GSA meeting because Leia pounced on Luke when he got home and dragged him up to her room.

"You and Han," she said. 

Luke's heart skipped a beat. Leia was trustworthy, she could keep a secret, but a part of him wanted her to think he and Han actually were dating. He had no idea why.

"Uh, yeah," he said.

"I'm gay, Luke. I didn't know you were too. I wanted to tell you, but I was scared. It feels really good to say out loud." 

Oh my god. Leia had just come out to him. Because she thought he was gay. He almost laughed. He had no idea how to respond to her.

"That's, uh. That's great, Leia. That was really brave," he said. The exact words that were said to him at the GSA meeting.

Leia hugged him, and he hugged back. He felt very protective of her. The situation was ridiculous, but he was proud.

~

School the next day was a disaster. Luke arrived as usual with Han, and the moment they entered the school, all eyes were on them.

"So I guess word spread," said Han through his teeth.

"No kidding," Luke responded.

"Should we, like, hold hands or something?" Han asked, still in a whisper.

"I don't know."

Han apparently decided that yes, they should hold hands because his fingers slid through Luke's and they walked to Han's locker hand in hand. Luke's heart was pounding. Han liked being the center of attention, but Luke didn't like the hundreds of eyes on him.

Han was grabbing a textbook from his locker, he had dropped Luke's hand to do so, when a curly-haired sophomore approached them.

"I think it's totally cool what you guys are doing," she said. "Like I totally support your relationship."'

Luke almost cringed.

"Oh," he said. "Uh. Thanks."

The girl smiled and bounded away.

Han let out a bark of laughter.

The rest of the day was like that. They got glares from jocks, looks of encouragement from various girls, and a hell of a lot of unwanted conversation. It was exhausting.

"Don't you think this is a little unethical?" asked Luke when the day was finally over, and the two of them were back in his car.l

"What do you mean?"

"Like, we are lying, you know." Luke thought of Leia's face as she came out to him.

"Part of it isn't a lie," said Han.

Luke was silent.

"I am actually bi," said Han quietly. He was playing with his seatbelt, not looking at Luke.

Jesus Christ. The second person to come out to Luke in 24 hours. He could not catch a break. Luke couldn't hold in his laughter this time. Han looked at him nervously, then grinned. After a moment they were both laughing in Luke's car, like they always did.

But this time Luke was falling a little in love with the other boy's laugh.


	2. It's As If We Always Knew

"What the HELL are you wearing?" Luke asked as Han climbed into his car. He was wearing a brightly colored Ru Paul's Drag Race shirt. It was a week after their first day pretending to be a couple. Things had calmed down, but they had a GSA meeting after school.

"I want to play the part," Han shrugged.

"What... part?"

"The gay one," said Han, smiling and buckling his seat.

"You're bisexual."

"Maybe I like Ru Paul!"

Luke snorted.

"What? He's fab."

"Are you sure you even like girls?" Luke grinned.

"Shut up," Han grinned back.

They drove in a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes before Luke realized something.

"Shit," he said. 

Han turned to him and raised his eyebrows.

"Homecoming," Luke said. "It's coming up. We'd be expected to... go together."

"Oh," said Han. "Well there isn't really a girl I'd want to go with, so whatever. It's all good. We'll go together."

Luke noticed he didn't say there wasn't a boy he didn't want to go with, but he didn't mention it. It made him happy. He didn't know why.

"Okay, we'll go together," Luke nodded. Then he grinned. He felt... happy. Happy they were going to go to homecoming together.

Weird.

~

At the GSA meeting, they discussed making sure same-sex couples could get the couple's ticket deal for homecoming. They would go to the principle and homecoming team of students to make sure that it was set in stone. Luke actually paid attention, it seemed... important.

Halfway through the meeting, Han grabbed Luke's hand. Luke jumped a bit, but knew what Han was doing. It only made sense that they would be comfortable enough to be holding hands in the GSA meeting. Luke relaxed into Han's touch and leaned into him. Han was playing with Luke's fingers and Luke's heart was beating. It was because he was nervous the group would see through them, he assumed. 

They held hands the rest of the meeting, and all the way to Luke's car. When Han finally dropped his hand, Luke's felt too empty.

~

It had been another week. There were only a few days until homecoming. Luke went out with Leia- cutting it close as always- to help her with finding a dress, and to find a suit for himself.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" A Macy's employee asked them. She had a fake smile plastered on her face.

"No, we're just browsing for homecoming... attire," said Leia, plastering an equally fake smile on her face.

"Well if you need any help, like for matching your dress and his tie, let me know!"

"Oh, we're not-" the twins said at the same time.

"He's my brother. My gay brother," said Leia.

Luke cleared his throat.

"My apologies. But if there is anything you need, just come and find me and I would be happy to help," the employee gave them one more smile and disappeared into the store.

Leia burst out laughing. Luke tried not to laugh, but he failed. The whole situation was just so ridiculous. Leia didn't know the half of it. 

Leia found a dress she looked gorgeous in, Luke found a suit, and they left the store. 

Leia linked arms with Luke and walked with a bounce in her step. She seemed to be in a really great mood and it was rubbing off on Luke.

They got into Luke's car and Leia started talking immediately.

"So you're going with Han, right? Are you going to match ties?"

"Oh, I hadn't really thought about that-"

"You need to, it's important. But I'll deal with that later. How's it going with him? I'm super happy for you."

"It's, uh, it's great," Luke buckled. He looked at Leia and she obviously wanted more, so he went on. "I'm very happy with him. He makes me laugh so easily, his hand fits perfectly in mine, and I love the way he smiles. Like he needs everyone to know he's happy," Luke stopped himself, heart beating. He didn't know he knew those things. He looked at Leia and she looked pleased so he put the car into drive, pulled out of the space, and started driving home.

"So what about you?" Luke's heartbeat was back to normal. "Any girls you're looking at?" 

Leia, for the first time all day, looked bashful. 

"Oh," she said. "I mean... sort of."

"LEIA! Tell me everything!"

"Amilyn Holdo? Do you know her?"

The name felt familiar to Luke. 

"The one with the purple hair?" he asked.

"Yeah. We've been getting closer. I really like her, but I don't even know if she's into girls. It's okay, I'm happy to just be friends with her right now. Hopefully more one day, though," Leia shrugged.

"Well I hope you two get together too," said Luke.

"Thanks, Luke."

Leia made him talk about Han the rest of the way home. He didn't know it yet, but something in Luke was surfacing, something big.

~

Luke was getting ready for the homecoming football game. The theme was "gold" and Luke didn't have any gold shirts, so he was tugging down one of Leia's as he looked at himself in the mirror.

"Leia!" Luke yelled into the other room. "Is this really the biggest and least girly gold shirt you own?"

"Yeah, it is, sorry!" Luke heard her yell back.

He tugged at the sparkles one more time and tried to pull his jeans as high as he could, then left the bathroom.

Leia was in the living room waiting, looking stunning as always. She was in a gold sports bra with high waisted black leggings. She had braided gold streamers into her hair, and had gold handprints on her stomach. She was always cooler than him.

Leia looked at Luke's outfit and laughed.

"Own it, legend," she said.

They got in Luke's car- they were driving together, something they rarely did- and started on their way to Han's house to pick him up.

Han had the same reaction when he saw what Luke was wearing. He squealed out a high pitched laugh when he got into the front seat of the car and hugged Luke, still laughing.

"You are something else! Love the ensemble."

Han was in a gold tank-top and jeans, with streaks of gold paint beneath his eyes. It brought them out.

Luke found a spot a little walk from the school, but not too bad. The three paid for their tickets, and then Leia disappeared to find her group of friends. 

Luke and Han took a spot next to Lando and some of the GSA kids. Some gold paint was passed back to Luke.

"You can use it if you want," the kid said. Luke didn't know him. He started to pass it back, when Han stopped him.

"No way are you not putting some of that on," Han said. "Here, I'll give you war paint."

Han snatched the paint out of Luke's hand and squeezed out some into his hand. He then dabbed some on his fingers and got uncomfortably close to Luke.

"Hold still."

Luke could smell Han's breath; his mouth was hanging open as he smeared paint onto Luke's cheekbones. Luke looked at his eyes and felt butterflies. He identified them as hunger, though, so a second later when Han was done, Luke went to get a piece of pizza.

The game went by slowly, Luke didn't care for football. He spent most of his time watching Han whooping and hollering. Someone from the GSA told Luke he looked lovestruck. 

Luke thought of all the hints throughout the last few weeks, and realized maybe he was a little lovestruck.

But he laughed it off. Han was his best friend, it was only natural for him to have a bit of light in his eyes while watching Han make a fool of himself.

But when Han fell asleep in the car on the way home and Luke had to lightly shake him awake when they reached his house, Luke felt more than friendship. He felt completely in love.


	3. As We Travel On

Luke laid awake that night after the game. He could not shake the feeling he had while looking at Han. It scared him, and he knew he needed to get rid of the feeling before homecoming the next day. He and Han would be arm in arm and dancing together to keep their lie going and if Luke had any real feelings, he could blow everything between him and Han. Their friendship could be over.

Luke was putting things together. Why he never had any girlfriends. Why when he was at the mall he was embarrassed to walk by Victoria's Secret. Not only did he realize he definitely liked boys, something he thought he always knew, but was just afraid to acknowledge, but he realized there was one boy, in particular, his feelings had latched onto. Han Solo was keeping him up at night. That asshole. Luke was scared of his feelings, but they made him happy. Thinking of how Han always called Luke his best friend, how he would fall asleep in Luke's car often, how he would ruffle Luke's hair- it all made Luke happy. It gave him butterflies, it made him excited about homecoming. 

Luke shifted, again. He was getting tired. As he drifted off to sleep he could almost feel Han's hand in his.

~

Luke was woken up by Leia stomping around the house getting ready for homecoming. He rolled over and checked his phone, it was 11:00 AM. Luke stretched and slowly got out bed. He glanced at his suit that was draped over his desk chair, then went to shower.

When he finished, he got into jeans and a t-shirt, he was waiting to get into his suit for a little while. Walking down the hallway, he noticed that Leia was much further along in her homecoming prep. She was wearing a dressing robe and had clearly already showered and combed out her hair. She was sitting at the vanity in her room pulling her hair this way and that trying to create the perfect look. She had half of her hair twisted between her fingers and was clearly attempting some type of intricate braid, her phone was propped up against the mirror playing youtube video of a girl with straight blonde hair expertly tying off a beautify braided bun. Strewn around the vanity were various makeup products and tools. So many that it Luke thought it couldn't all possibly be for Leia to use today. He watched her for a moment. Although she was clearly struggling with recreating the braided look from the video, she seemed so confident in who she was. She always had. With these new feelings about Han still bouncing around his head, he wished he had the clarity his twin always seemed to emulate.

"What?" Leia called out to Luke pulling him out of his deep thought trance.

"Oh, hey. Wanna go downstairs and get breakfast or something once you're done with..." Luke twirled his hands around his head making his best impression of the braiding that Leia was working on.

"My day started a loooong time ago bud, not all of us have the privilege of not even having to comb our hair down to be ready," Leia said, not even looking up from the mirror. Luke combed his fingers through his hair and suddenly thinking he might have to head back into the bathroom and pay a bit more attention to how he looked. Leia looked up at Luke's silence. "Oh I'm just teasing, you look fine. You are my twin."

The twins smiled at each other and each turned back to their task at hand; Leia to wrangling her hair and Luke to finding breakfast.

Luke put his empty cereal bowl in the sink and made his way back upstairs. Usually, if he was eating alone, he'd be scrolling through instagram, but today he was lost in thought. Homecoming seemed important, like an opportunity to connect more with Han and really be a "real gay" so he wasn't lying to Leia and the whole school.

At the top of the stairs, he turned down the hallway, pausing again at Leia's open door. She was still in her dressing gown but she had finished with her hair. She had gone with something very different from the youtube video he had seen her watching before. This was much better. Her hair was all pulled back in a bun with several twists leading to it, from the bun a five strand braid trailed down her back, it was truly elegant.

"I love your hair, Leia!"

Leia looked up "Really? I wasn't sure about this."

"It's really something," Luke assured her with a smile. "So are you going to do makeup now?"

"Yeah, come sit with me and chat, this'll take longer than my hair if you can believe it." Leia said, motioning for Luke to pull up the stool from the other side of her room.

Luke grabbed the stool and sat next to Leia, their heads the exact same height in the mirror. Luke watched as Leia was able to find the product she needed from the mess strewn in front of her seemingly without looking. All the tubes and plastic rounds looked the same but he knew better than to mention something like that to Leia and get kicked out of her room for being a "stupid boy". 

Luke watched Leia begin with foundation. He looked in the mirror as Leia's skin became smooth like a perfect doll next to his which now seemed to have too many imperfections on it compared to his sister's. Leia noticed his gaze and continued blending her foundation, "Want some?" she asked.

Luke laughed but she persisted, "I'm serious, I can give you something subtle if you want."

Luke scanned his own face in the mirror. 'Homecoming /is/ a special occasion,' he thought 'and I could always wash it off before the dance.' Leia was looking at Luke still holding the makeup tube. "Sure, why not..." Luke said cautiously.

"Yay! I'm sure you're the same shade as me, neither of have spent any decent amount of time outside in way too long. Okay just turn to face me and close your eyes." Luke did as he was told, hands grasped on his knees hoping he hadn't made a big mistake letting his sister have free reign over his face on such an important day.

He held still for what felt like a much longer amount of time than Leia had spent on her own foundation. But he had to admit it was pretty relaxing, kind of like some kind of face massage. The twins were chatting idly on school and classes, nothing really important. "Hey, can I do a little contouring on you? Please?"

Luke's eyes were still closed so he had no idea how different he already looked. "Umm... I mean as long as I don't look like Rupaul's drag race I guess its fine."

"Subtle, got it! Leia assured. Luke heard Leia sorting through the products on her desk and was tempted to sneak a peak of himself in the mirror but before he could Leia was back at his face, this time with a brush. This whole contouring thing was making Leia grab his chin to turn each cheek to face her, to compare or something. Just as Luke was wondering what could possibly be taking so long, Leia's hands retreated from his face. He heard the brush and palette set back down on the vanity and then Leia spoke excitedly, "Okay, all done! take a look!"

Luke opened his eyes, not really sure what to expect. He'd never had any makeup on before and never had any thought of wearing any. He opened his eyes slowly and was shocked. He looked like himself but like an edited version of himself. Leia really did a great job keeping it subtle; just enough to make a difference but not enough that people would really be able to tell. He was still staring at himself in the vanity mirror when Leia spoke up.

"So? What do you think?" She asked expectantly.

"I think its really great Leia, really thank you." Luke said quietly, still getting used to how his reflection looked.

"Perfect! Close your eyes for just a second then!"

Luke obeyed and felt Leia spray something over his entire face.

"That should keep it on all night, even if Han ends up all over you!" Leia teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Stop it!! I'm leaving!" Luke said cheeks starting to red and standing from his seat.

"Whatever, when you grow up feel free to come keep me company, I've got way more to do on my face than yours." Leia smiled and began brushing power onto her own face, smiling in the mirror at him.

Luke smiled back at her and left her room. Back in his own room, he closed the door and spent some time in front of the mirror just turning his head back and forth and at every angle to appreciate the work Leia had done.

Eventually, it was time for Luke to really get ready. He got in his suit, careful not to mess up the makeup in any way, and examined himself in the mirror. He had gone for a sand-colored jacket on top of a white shirt and blue tie. He looked... fashionable. Luke didn't know much about fashion, but he did know he looked good. 

Leia had kissed his cheek lightly twenty minutes ago and drove to one of her friends' house to do pictures. Luke checked his phone and saw Han had confirmed Luke should pick him up at 6:00. They were going to eat some pizza quickly and then go to the dance until 11:00, then Lando's house for an afterparty.

Luke pulled up to Han's and saw Han leaning on the tree in his front yard. When he saw Luke he smiled and started over to the car. Han was wearing a black jacket over a white shirt with no tie. It fit him perfectly and Luke found himself staring at Han's defined shoulders as he approached the car. He looked so good- Luke was almost drooling. 

Han knocked on the window.

"Open up, weirdo," he said.

Luke forgot to unlock the car, he quickly pressed the button, and Han climbed in.

"Your face!" Han yelled.

"What?" Luke remembered the makeup. "Oh, yeah! Leia did it for me, is it too much? I don't know-"

"You look hot, kid. I like it."

It was a friendly compliment, and Luke knew he should take it as one, but he truly could not help the warmth that came into his cheeks and the fluttering of his stomach.

The two of them stuffed their faces with pizza quickly, and headed over to the school. Luke parked and they both got out of the car. Luke looked at Han.

"Ready to live a lie?" Luke asked.

"Oh quit being dramatic, just take my hand and let's go," Han said. He laced their fingers together and they started walking towards the school.


	4. Point Me Toward Tomorrow

A few people Luke didn't know smiled at him and Han as they walked through the doors to the school and into the gym hand in hand. There was dance music playing, but they didn't go to the dance floor, first, they took a seat with Lando and some GSA kids. Lando looked tense.

"Why don't you guys go dance?" he said to the GSA kids. They nodded with smiles on their faces and got up.

Lando turned to Han and Luke.

"Look, guys. The whole school is watching you guys and a lot of the kids in the GSA are looking up to you two. You have to seem really in love tonight. Also you should because I've been telling everybody you guys are. Like, take a picture for Instagram or something. Both your follower counts are going up, aren't they?"

"How'd you know that?" Luke was startled.

"Because you are the only gay couple at this school. Whether it's to make fun of you, or to "support" you, people are keeping an eye on you guys."

"Lando, why the fuck do you care about our fake relationship?" Han asked.

"Keep it down! I care because I was the one who told everyone about it. I made Han confirm it. If it gets out that you guys-" Lando switched to a whisper. "-aren't really dating, then I'll be ripped apart."

"Always thinking of yourself. Not even a thought about Luke and I." Han was suddenly cold. "Come on, Luke. Let's go dance."

Han dragged Luke to the dance floor and started dancing. Luke was confused.

"Why were you just so short with him?" Luke asked, trying to be louder than the music blaring in their ears.

"Because neither of us asked to be in this fake relationship!" Han exclaimed. There was power in his voice, but he was still quiet to not reveal to the whole school that their relationship was fake. "This isn't benefiting either of us, we're basically just doing this for Lando."

Luke's heart dropped. Of course, Han didn't want to be in a fake or real relationship with him. The giddiness of newfound feelings left Luke's body, and he was left with numbness. 

A slow song started playing.

Luke looked at Han for a minute, not knowing what to do.

"What the hell," said Han, and he grabbed Luke and tugged him in close to start dancing.

Although let down, Luke's heart started beating through his chest, and he was sure Han would be able to feel it.

They swayed to the music. Neither of them spoke, so Han brought Luke closer, and he rested his head on Han's shoulder.

And in that moment, Luke was happy. He was harboring a growing crush on Han, but right then he didn't care. He was dancing with his best friend and it was like they were playing one of Han's practical jokes on the school. Luke smiled into Han's shoulder.

The song ended, and they separated.

"Lando, although insufferable, was right. We should post on Instagram. Let's go to the photo-booth." Han said. He grabbed Luke's hand and led him to the photo-booth. Luke thought he could get used to Han holding his hand, it seemed to happen a lot nowadays.

They waited a couple of minutes before the booth was clear and they could go in. They went in and immediately Han pressed the button to start.

"Wait! What poses are we doing?" Luke yelped.

"Oh shit, uh, we'll figure it out. Okay just smile for the first one,"

They smiled and the machine snapped a photo.

Luke rested his head on Han's shoulder.

"Yeat, that's good!" Han said, and he tilted his head on top of Luke's. The machine snapped a photo. "Hug?" Han asked. Luke nodded so they hugged for the third picture. Luke smiled wide, a genuine smile.

The machine was counting down, and neither knew what to do for the last pose. They were staring at each other.

"We need a kissing one," said Han.

"What?!" Luke practically yelled.

"Quick!" said Han, and he grabbed Luke's face and pressed his lips to Luke's.

The machine snapped a picture and Han pulled away. Luke's head started spinning, but he couldn't think about it because Han was telling him to move so they could get the photos and Luke had to act normal.

He climbed out of the photo-booth, Han right beside him and waited for the photos to print.

Luke grabbed one of the two nervously and his eyes immediately went to the last photo. Han''s hands were on Luke's cheeks and his eyes were closed. Luke's were open, he looked surprised, but it wouldn't be noticeable to someone who wasn't looking for it.

"Sorry, kid," said Han, patting Luke on the back. "I panicked."

Luke chuckled. He was hoping his cheeks weren't too red because he felt warm all over.

They went back to the dance floor and goofed off for a while. Luke was crying from laughter by the end because Han was acting like a true idiot. Soon, it was time to leave and go to Lando's.

It seemed like every person that was at the dance was at Lando's. Luke had to park on the next street over. Luke left his tie and jacket in the car and undid his top button. Han had done the same with his jacket and top button. The pair walked up Lando's front path together and on the front stoop Han threw his arm around Luke's shoulders and knocked on the door. Surprisingly, it was Lando who answered it.

'Heyyy you two!" He yelled only slightly sloshing beer out of the can he held above his head to give them a one-armed hug, "My favorite couple is here, now its a party!" Lando turned and headed back into the mass of people crowding his living room and frankly all over. That comment made Luke laugh, as if either of them were some kind of party animal.

"Something funny?" Han said with a growing smile on his face.

"C'mon." Luke said leading Han into the house. Han nudged the door closed behind him as they both looked around at the scene. It looked like something straight out of some teen movie, it seemed that every inch of the main floor was occupied. The two pushed their way through the crowd until they got to the kitchen where the counters were covered in packs of beer cans, bottles of soda, and handles of harder stuff.

Han grabbed himself a beer, and offered one to Luke.

"I mean I drove here, so..." Luke said.

"Kid, it's Lando's, we can both just crash here," Han said.

"Oh. Well is there anything other than beer? I don't really like beer."

Han smiled mischievously and went to the fridge. He started mixing juice with what Luke thought was vodka. Han handed him a red solo cup filled with what he just made.

"Bottoms up," Han said, and they both took a gulp of their respective drinks. 

Thirty minutes later, Luke was completely drunk. He and Han were sharing an armchair in the living room. Han was in the middle of a conversation with people Luke didn't know. He wasn't listening. He was busy taking in the feel of his thigh pressed against Han's, and Han's arm around him. Luke shifted closer and rested his head on Han's shoulder. He was snapped out of the state he was in by Han saying his name.

"Luke? You good?"

"Never better," Luke slurred.

"Did you hear?" Han asked. Luke didn't hear.

"Yeah! I agree," Luke snuggled closer to Han. He heard everyone laugh, but he didn't understand what they were laughing at. He looked up at them and saw Leia walking to the kitchen. Luke jumped up- literally jumped- and screamed.

"LEIA! I DIDN'T KNOW YOU!"

Leia swiveled in Luke's direction.

"Luke? Oh my god," she walked over to him. 

"Leia," Luke whispered.

"Yeah?" Leia whispered back.

"Nothing," Luke said, and he started laughing.

"You are fucking drunk! Han is he okay?"

Han opened his mouth to speak, but Luke cut him off.

"How can I be fucking drunk if I'm fucking Han?" Luke was surprised at what he said, and he started laughing again. He was vaguely aware of Leia talking to Han, but he wasn't paying attention. He really just wanted to keep cuddling with Han.

Luke walked over and threw himself on Han. Han fell back into the chair they had been sharing, with Luke now on top of him.

"Get a room," Lando said. He was passing them on his way to the kitchen.

"That's a good idea!" Luke said. "Han let's go make-out in some room like we did in the photo-booooooth."

Han lightly pushed Luke off of him.

"Want some water, Luke?" he asked lightly.

Luke agreed, and Han brought him some water. Luke started drinking it and his head got clearer. He was beginning to get tired.

People were clearing out. Soon, not a lot of people were left. Luke heard Han ask Lando which room they should take, but Luke didn't hear much of the conversation because he was really about to fall asleep. It seemed tense. But everything was fine because Han started to help Luke up to lead him upstairs. Luke stood up and stumbled. Han put his arm around Luke's shoulder and they started walking.

"We make a great couple," Luke said, already half asleep.

"We're not a couple," Han whispered back.

"Oh, yeah," Luke took a second. "I wish we were."

Han smiled. "Me too, kid."

Luke stumbled again, basically falling asleep in midair. Han scooped him up and walked the rest of the way to the room. He laid Luke down, took Luke's shoes off, and left the room "to grab a blanket."

Luke was asleep on the ground by the time he got back.


	5. the Sweetness and the Sorrow

Luke woke up curled up next to Han on the floor of Lando's bedroom. He had an almost blinding headache, but it didn't stop him from seeing how close he was to Han. They were sharing a blanket, and Han's arm was curled around Luke. He wondered if Han had gone to bed like that or if they got that close in their sleep. Luke stayed curled up next to Han even though he was awake. He looked at Han sleeping peacefully next to him and sighed. Luke started playing with Han's hair, brushing it through his fingers lightly, careful not to wake him.

"So," said Lando from his bed. Luke practically jumped out of his skin. "You actually like him, huh."

"Jesus, Lando! You almost gave me a heart attack!" 

Lando climbed out of his bed, he was in pajama pants without a shirt on.

"The way you were just looking at him," he said. "That's not fake."

Luke was going to deny it, he was going to try to fight Lando on this, but he looked up at Lando's face and saw only compassion staring back. Luke sighed.

"Yeah," he sat up, cross-legged. Luke opened his mouth to say something else, he didn't know what, but he stopped because at that moment Han stirred.

Both Lando and Luke's heads turned to where Han was slowly sitting up.

"Got any breakfast?" Han asked to no one in particular.

"I can make eggs, but I need you two gone before 12:00, that's when my parents are getting back," said Lando as he walked out. He turned back for a second to add: "It's 11:30."

Lando shut the door behind him. Luke looked at Han, trying to remember the events from last night. Everything was blurry and unclear. He remembered the dance and kissing Han. Fuck, he kissed Han. He remembered the beginning of the party, but most of it was just... gone. 

"You hungover?" Han asked.

"Oh yeah," Luke responded. "I barely remember anything from the party,"

Han looked relieved. It was weird. "You were funny," he said standing up. Han started wrapping up the blanket they shared.

"Shit," said Luke. "That's bad, isn't it."

Han laughed. "You were... fine. You didn't do anything too bad."

"Are you and Lando okay?" Luke asked. "I remember you guys sort of fought."

Han shrugged. "We'll be fine, we always are."

"THEY'RE READY!" Lando yelled from the kitchen. Luke and Han made their way downstairs to find Lando finishing up the eggs. The three of them ate quickly without talking.

"Thanks for letting us crash here," said Luke as he and Han started to leave.

"No problem," said Lando. He caught Luke's eyes. Han was already out the door. Lando looked at Luke with compassion, but also amusement. It was out of character for Lando, he seemed to really feel for Luke. Luke stared back at him, and Lando nodded slightly. And then Luke left.

It was chilly, the fall air nipped at Luke's face as the two of them walked a block over to where Luke had parked. Neither of them spoke, but it was a content silence, one that the two best friends had often. One where both were just content to be near each other.

When they got to the car, Luke found a bottle of aspirin and took two with a water bottle he found in the backseat. He offered the bottle to Han, but Han refused.

Luke started driving to Han's house to drop him off.

"So have you thought about when we're gonna break up?" Han asked.

Luke furrowed his brow. "What?"

"We can't stay faking forever. We said we'd give it a few weeks and then break up."

Luke's heart sank. He'd been taking advantage of the fake relationship so much that it felt real. But it wasn't.

"I don't know," Luke said, trying to keep his voice from wavering. "We seemed pretty happy at the dance. I guess we need to start "drifting apart" you know?"'

"Maybe I'll start driving myself to school, then," said Han. "I can probably use the family car."

"Okay," Luke said. He was trying to sound like he didn't care, like he wouldn't miss Han every second they weren't together.

Luke pulled up to Han's house. He wanted to hug or kiss Han goodbye, but that was not what friends do, so he settled for a smile that Luke hoped seem genuine, and then bit his cheek as he watched Han grab his jacket and walk up the steps into his home.

Luke pulled away and started driving home. His thoughts were going wild. He was trying to piece together the night before. Some things were coming back. He remembered seeing Leia. He remembered playing beer-pong with the popular kids. But he couldn't remember anything to do with Han, or how they had ended up curled up together on the floor.

Luke ran the kiss through his mind. Han was the one who initiated it. Did that mean something? Luke couldn't tell. Han was always someone who was comfortable being touchy-feely. That didn't mean that wasn't the first time Han had ever kissed Luke, but Luke thought, with a frown, that it didn't mean Han had feelings for him. 

Luke pulled into his driveway. He grabbed his jacket from the back and reached into the pocket. There, were the four photos they had taken. Luke looked at each of them and saw a happy glint in his own eye. He truly loved being with Han, and looking at the photos, you could tell.

Luke unlocked the front door and entered quietly, he wanted to take a shower before he had to talk to his aunt and uncle about homecoming. 

He made it through the house without making anyone aware he was there. He grabbed a towel and then stepped into the shower. He was still lost in thought about Han. Once Luke had gotten his license, he and Han had never driven without each other. Was Han suggesting to do so just to make their breakup seem real? Or was there another reason. Luke's chest got tight with the thought that there could be another reason.

Luke stepped out of the shower and dried himself off. He got into sweatpants and a sweatshirt, then got into bed. His headache was barely gone, so he was going to rest for a bit, just scrolling on his phone. He opened Instagram and refreshed his feed. The first post was from Han.

It was a picture of the photo-booth pictures. Han was holding it up against the background of Luke sitting at the table they had taken at homecoming, not looking at Han, but laughing at something someone had said.

The caption read:

"i always consider myself so lucky to have a boyfriend that is as kind, smart, funny, and of course really freaking beautiful as this here luke skywalker. happy homecoming, luke. i love you so much <3"

With shaky hands, Luke liked the picture.


	6. The Gift Was Ours To Borrow

"Why aren't you driving with Han anymore?" Leia asked one morning. She was wearing jeans and a striped shirt and had a towel twisted around her hair. It had been a week since he and Han had agreed to stop driving to school together, and Luke guessed Leia's curiosity had gotten the best of her.

Luke looked at his sister, the genuine compassion in her eyes made Luke's heart sink. He couldn't lie to her anymore.

"Can I tell you a secret, Leia? You really can't tell anyone," Luke said.

Leia sat down next to him on the couch in their living room.

"What is it? You can tell me anything," Leia's voice was soft.

"Han and I," Luke clenched his eyes shut. "We aren't dating."

He opened his eyes carefully to Leia still with compassion in her eyes.

"You guys broke up?" 

"No," Luke fidgeted with his hands. "We were never dating. It was a fake relationship."

"What are you talking about, Luke?" Leia asked in a very level, monotone voice.

"I'm sorry for lying, but it feels good to be honest with y-"

"I CAME OUT TO YOU!" Leia was suddenly on her feet. "YOU WERE THE FIRST PERSON I TOLD BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU UNDERSTOOD."

"Wait but Leia, I actually-"

"Fuck you, Luke," said Leia, and she stormed away into her room, slamming the door behind her.

Luke put his head in his hands. He was losing everybody.

~

The one thing Luke could look forward to was lunch. Since he and Han were still technically "together" they ate lunch with each other. But when Luke got to the cafeteria, Han wasn't sitting in their normal spot. Luke searched the cafeteria and spotted him sitting with, to his great surprise, the football team.

Luke put his stuff down where he usually sat and walked over. Han smiled at him as he approached, then looked back down to his food, which confused Luke even more. He was afraid he knew where this was going.

"Han, what are you doing?" Luke asked once he was in front of the table.

"We broke up, Luke," Han said, in a monotone voice without looking up from his food.

It was like a punch in the face.

"You can still sit with us," Luke tried. Things were supposed to go back to normal, not become _this._

"No, I think I'm gonna sit with people that won't cheat on me," Han said.

Luke's eyes went wide. He took a step back. What the hell was he doing?

"With a girl," Han added.

"I-" Luke started, but a football player cut him off.

"He doesn't want you here, Skywalker. Scram."

In shock, Luke walked back to his table, but he didn't stop there. He grabbed his stuff, walked out the front door and drove home.

~

"I'm sorry, I just got so into the story," Han said. Luke had called him after school ended and demanded he come over so they talk about what had happened. They were sitting in Luke's room, Luke on the bed, Han on the floor.

"Have you seen Twitter? Everyone wants to know which girl "turned Luke Skywalker straight!" This is a disaster, oh my god," Luke looked at Han. Han was silent, he shrugged at Luke. He looked apologetic, but there was a hint of a smile on his face. "Do not start laughing," but Luke's mouth had already curled into a smile, and almost at the same time, the two started laughing.

They started to calm down and the panic set in Luke.

"What are we gonna do?" he asked. He was starting to panic. "We won't be able to talk to each other anymore!" Luke looked down. "I don't want that."

"Me neither," said Han.

But no matter how hard they tried, neither boy could come up with a solution. The only solution Luke could think of, which he left unsaid, was getting back together, real or fake. But Han didn't want that.

So they avoided each other in school.

Until the next GSA meeting.

Luke walked in and took a seat away from Lando. He knew Han would probably want to sit with him. When Han walked in, Luke tensed. This whole thing, avoiding each other, made it seem like he really did cheat on Han, and they really weren't friends anymore. Luke desperately wanted to go back to how things were. Where he was comfortable around Han. Where Leia didn't actively avoid him. He had tried to talk to her, but she was still mad, and still wouldn't listen. And Han used to be his rock, his best friend, and comfort. But now he only sees Han on weekends, and it's just not the same. There's still something between them, an elephant in the room. Luke wished he knew what it was.

Luke made an attempt at a smile in Han's direction, anything to ease the tension between them, but Han, who normally would've given him some sign that he didn't hate Luke, like a wink, just looked down, and took a seat next to Lando.

"Now that everyone is here," said Elizabeth, the girl who had started running the GSA meetings. "This might not be a very comfortable meeting, but a few of us talked and we thought it would be beneficial." She turned and looked right at Luke. "Luke, we've heard some rumors. And a lot of us know what it's like figuring out our sexuality, so we want to help you and talk it out."

Luke instinctively looked at Han for support, but Han was staring wide-eyed at Elizabeth.

"I-" Luke started.

"First, this is a safe space, so don't worry about anything getting out," said Elizabeth. "So is it true? Did you cheat on Han with a girl? Did you like it? We're here to help,"

Luke found their way out of this mess.

"NO! It's not true. Han never let me explain. She was lying, she wanted us to break up. And it worked. But I didn't cheat on him, I wouldn't do that."

"You're lying, Luke." Han stood up. "I know you did,"

"What are you doing?" asked Luke, forgetting they were in front of a dozen people.

"I'm making sure they know the truth. You cheated."

"I- what!?" Luke had no idea what Han was doing. Luke had found a way for them to become friends again, and Han was ruining it.

"Luke," said Elizabeth. "Have you ever been attracted to a girl before?'

"No!" Luke exclaimed. "I've only every liked boys. Mostly just Han." Luke had stopped lying and he was just yelling what he felt.

"I loved you!" Yelled Han. "And you betrayed my trust!" Han stormed out of the room. Luke started to follow, but Lando was up first and out the door.

"Is it easier to say the truth, now that Han is gone?" asked Elizabeth.

"I've never even been in a relationship! Of course it isn't true!" Luke blurted out. Then he realized what he had just said. 

"What did you just say?" asked Elizabeth.

"Except for Han, I mean," Luke was trying to backtrack, but no one was buying it. They were all looking at him.

"No, what did you say? You've never been in a relationship?"

"I misspoke, I-"

"Were you and Han fake dating?" a boy asked. "I read a book where two people did that. Is that what you meant?"

"I-" Luke started to tear up. He didn't know what to say or what to do. He might've just ruined... everything. Without a word, Luke ran out of the room and far down the hallway. He only stopped when he was at the complete other side of the school.

Luke sat down, hugged his knees, and that's when he did cry. Everything that had happened over the last few weeks came pouring out of him. He cried silently, he let the tears flow down his cheeks, but didn't make a sound. 

Then he started to hear voices. Han and Lando's voices. They were approaching him and Luke didn't want to face them, so he slid into the nearest classroom and shut the door. He could still hear, clearly, what they were saying.

"Because I can't be around him!" it was Han's voice. "Because I'm falling in love with him and he's only pretending to be gay." 

Luke's stomach dropped. That meant...

He couldn't just jump out and surprise them, so he waited for them to pass, but he had stopped listening, his heart was too loud in his ears. Then, he texted Han.

_meet me by my car. we have a BIG problem_

Luke rushed out to his car, and waited for Han.


End file.
